5 Tips For A Successful Winter Getaway

Save yourself some stress and enjoy a relaxing winter escape with these tips for planning, packing, and travelling for your next holiday.

Pristine packing. Your precious items shouldn’t be checked-in — keep them with you in your carry-on baggage. This includes your passport, identification and return tickets, medicines and medical devices, money, jewellery, electronic equipment, and essential overnight items. Always include your contact information and your destination contact information inside each piece of checked baggage. If you’re travelling with someone or are checking more than one bag, divide up your contents. This way, if one gets lost, you won’t lose all your belongings.

Be wary of tight connections. Unforeseen issues like weather or mechanical problems can disrupt your flights, so it’s wise to leave yourself some extra time between connecting flights in case of an unexpected mishap. Remember that it’s better to spend an extra hour browsing the duty free shop than missing your flight.

A discount isn’t always a bargain. Discount fares, sometimes known as seat sales, give passengers less flexibility and may be available only for a short period. Be mindful of any restrictions. In contrast, full fares are the most costly but have the fewest restrictions and give you the most flexibility to book, change, or cancel a reservation.

Know your passenger rights. The air carrier’s tariff covers your rights and obligations as a passenger and your carrier’s rights and responsibilities to you. If something goes wrong, read the tariff to find out if your ticket is refundable, how the carrier will handle problems with your bags, and what it will do if flights are cancelled or delayed or there are changes to your itinerary or reservation.

Know what to do when you’re stuck. If you experience a problem with your airline such as a flight delay, denied boarding or schedule change, you can file a complaint with the Canadian Transportation Agency. Their job is to help resolve complaints between passengers and airlines. Find more information online at cta.gc.ca/air-travel-complaints.